Gartrel earned a BS in Communications from the University of Idaho and a BS in Mathematics from the University of Oregon. He studied acting at Long Beach City College, the Brian Reese Studio, and the Screen Actors Studio. Beside his work on Enterprise, Gartrel was featured in episodes of The Andy Dick Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and CV Nation (2013), [3] in the fantasy comedy The Shaggy Dog (2006, with Mic Rodgers), and the independent film Pumpkin.